Santa Claus is coming to town, and although he'll be social distancing, he’s not camera shy. New York City kids have plenty of options for safe visits with Santa this holiday season. While Macy's is offering a virtual Santaland at Home experience, there are a handful of in-person spots where kids can visit Jolly Old St. Nick.

We’ve rounded our favorite options for photos with Santa all across the five boroughs, including inventive curb-side visits, formal outdoor photoshoots, and traditional mall Santa experiences. As always, find more seasonal fun in our NYC Holiday Guide.

It can be hard to talk about uncomfortable things with children. Books are a great way to introduce different ideas and experiences and talk about them together. 

In the groundbreaking parenting book Nurtureshock, by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman, the chapter, “Why White Parents Don’t Talk About Race” taught me something about myself. The section explains that white parents often think that by ignoring race we will teach our children that race is not important and everyone is equal. In fact, they write, research shows that this does not work. 

I have a feeling that if Bronson and Merryman were writing this today, they might go a step further and say that white parents must actively teach children that it’s not enough to see everyone as equal. We must also see how people are not treated equally and actively work to change this inequality in our society. The following list of books for children, from toddlers to teens, goes beyond celebrations of diversity; these acclaimed books educate children about racism in our society and open conversations about social justice. 

There's no place better than New York City for kids to learn about art, and what better way for your child to pursue their creative passions than a summer art camp? Many professional artists moonlight as talented teachers, and the demand for art programs has created a wealth of exceptional art classes and arts camps. Whether your child is into visual arts, performing arts, or wants to sample all the arts, we've found After 15 exceptional arts camps, which all excel for different reasons.

We found visual arts camps, performing arts camps, and more creative camps with programs like circus arts. Some arts camps allow kids to sample a little of everything. From summer-long intensives to week-long sampler sessions, no matter their age, if your child is ready to dive into a summer of artistic expression, read on to find the perfect arts camp.

If you need more ideas, check out our Camp Guide and full Directory of Listings for dozens more great camps.